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Sacrificial Flame
' Sacrificial Flame' is a fire-worshipping cult that see fire as a means of communicating with higher-powers but are actually being manipulated by the Devils into doing their will - the unspeakable evil of the Realm Of The Unliving beckoning them onwards from within the crackling flames of destruction they compulsively spark. Origin Since time began mankind had been fascinated with fire and it was late one night, thousands of years ago, that a group of men stared into a camp fire and became captivated by the flames: they imagined wild faces in the flames, grinning devils that beckoned them to join them in their fiery dance - yet when they reached out to touch the image they recoiled in pain at the burning sensation: this sparked an obsession in their minds to find a way to join the dancing figures in the flame and unlock their powers. For years these fire-cults grew and waned in relation to time and location, during Arthurian times the Sacrificial Flame rose to power and set a hamlet on fire so that they could watch it burn, thus gain knowledge on the nature of fire - however their crazed experiment was put to an end by the intervention of the heroic White Knight and Merlin and they fled into the forests: following this King Arthur declared the society illegal within his realm and they would become one of Camelot's many enemies. The Sacrificial Flame would join Mordred in the great battle that claimed King Arthur's life and attempted to burn Camelot itself to the ground: Mordred, an adept devil-worshipper, knew of the true nature of the Sacrificial Flame and gifted them with small dragons to aid in their destructive mayhem but they were quickly vanquished by Merlin and once again fled into the forests when Mordred was slain in battle. For many years the Sacrificial Flame would stay hidden, only venturing out every now and then to burn down a building or two then flee back into the forest - tales of madmen lurking in the woods would captive the minds of early men and inspired many legends, at night the smell of burning rose from within the forest and the faint glow of flame could be seen: a reminder of the bizarre ceremonies still being practiced by the elusive cult in secret. Around the time of the Vikings the Sacrificial Flame would rise to power once more and unleashed a lesser Devil known as Surtur, mistaking him for a divinity, Surtur proceeded to transform a select group of followers into Fire-Wraiths but was banished by the Norse demigod Thor with aid from his father Odin - the Norse gods then allied with the Celtic pantheon to chase the Sacrificial Flame out of both Norway and Britain, forcing them to brave the seas and flee to the New World (which would later be known as North America). Once established in North America the Sacrificial Flame gained some new members from the Native American tribes and became unwitting pawns of Coyote and Raven - however they also gained new enemies in the form of Native American tribes that didn't share their beliefs and the ruling pantheon of the Native American gods. Despite this however the Sacrificial Flame managed to survive until the colonisation of America and continue to exist into the modern-age, though their membership has altered over the years - currently the Sacrificial Flame is at its highest since the days of King Arthur and this is seen as a sign by some in the organisation that a new age of flame is waiting to be unleashed upon the world.. Members Sons Of Surtur The supreme leaders of the modern Sacrificial Flame, unlike the Flame-Lords the Sons Of Surtur are aware of the true nature of "those who dance in flame" but embrace them nevertheless - these devil-worshippers gain necromantic power as a result but often hide them from their followers so as not to reveal their true nature: they are immortal but suffer from the fact that the older they become the more rotten their form becomes, to counteract this many Sons Of Surtur have become heat-vampires who feed off heat to keep themselves young. The number of Sons of Surtur are roughly 6 and since only the most fanatical and powerful of Flame-Lords can become a Son Of Surtur this number is unlikely to rise any time soon. Flame-Lords The leaders of the Sacrificial Flame, second only to the Sons Of Surtur in power they sit in solitude within the Realm Of Flame and communicate with "those who dance in flame" - the Flame-Lords are convinced these are divinities and eagerly absorb the information they give and add it into their ever-growing belief system, yet they are unwittingly being played as fools by the Devils and are little more than elaborate tools by which to burn down the world of the living and make way for the world of undeath. Flame-Keepers Beneath the Flame-Lords in power but superior to both Firebrands and Firestarters are the Flame-Keepers, individuals who have proven themselves to be accepting of the spiritual beliefs of the society as well as competent practitioners of fire-magic and manipulation: which they see as gifts from "those who dance in flame" for their loyalty, Flame-Keepers often take on the role of mentor to the Firebrands and Firestarters, teaching them the ways of the Sacrificial Flame and passing on information from the Flame-Lords to the lower-ranking members. Fire-Wraiths Undead aberrations that were originally created by Surtur in the age of the Vikings but still exist as a species in their own right - for more information please see Fire-Wraiths Firebrands Like Firestarters these young, rebellious followers of the Sacrificial Flame don't hold the same amount of fanaticism as the higher-ranking members of the society but have become more faithful of the spiritual beliefs of the society than the Firestarters and are thus taught the very basics of fire-magic and manipulation by the Flame-Keepers. Firestarters The lowest-ranking members of the Sacrificial Flame are made up of pyromaniacs, troubled youths and superhumans who have lost their way - often eager to start fires either from enjoyment or as a means of expressing strange spiritual beliefs these Firestarters are watched over by the Flame-Keepers and taught about the importance of nurturing the flame within - the flame that will ultimately lead them to join "those that dance in falmes". Category:Organizations Category:Inferno Pendragon Category:Villains